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Prospective candidates and employers can keep each other waiting

Home / News / Prospective candidates and employers can keep each other waiting

In November CV-Library released a new study into the behaviour of job seekers and recruiters in the automotive sector. The results say a great deal about the current situation in the industry and the challenges that all parties are facing.

The headline statistic is that 43.3% of the 1,500 professionals surveyed admitted to ‘benching’ a job offer from a prospective employer. This meant they had been offered automotive jobs but chose to delay taking it up immediately. Typically the reason for the delays was that they were waiting to see if other employers came along and offered a better deal. This is likely in many cases because competition for staff is so high.

The waiting could range in time from just a few days to a number of weeks. In fact 44.5% said they would be willing to keep a job offer on hold for over two weeks. This is an incredible stat and showcases that prospective employees can have a great deal of power.

The tactic is an interesting one and can provide benefits for candidates but a great deal of care is needed when taking that kind of approach. The last thing you want to do is lose a job offer because you waited too long to formally accept it. If you are waiting it is best to advise an employer of the delay and keep in regular contact.

Surprisingly there are a number of cases when employers themselves opt to do similar to prospective candidates. They can make them wait for a period of time before making a formal offer to see if other potential employees become available. A surprising 36.7% of candidates reported they had been ‘benched’ by a recruiter when applying for automotive jobs.

At John Gibson Associates we work with large and small businesses from the industry to help them fill automotive jobs. We understand that both candidates and employers can utilise ‘benching’ and benefit from it. We can assist both parties in dealing with this and deliver the very best level of support.